New Cyclists Guide
Many people took up cycling in 2020 both indoor and out door. Learning about cycling is an ongoing process and I’m excited to share with my community what I’ve learned in the past two decades plus exploring the countryside on my bicycle.
I’ll be adding to this page regularly so please check back from time to time to see more info. I’ll be adding nutrition tips, clothing guide, and resources for cycling on a budget very soon. I welcome questions so please send an email if you want me to address anything specific!
For now we will begin with the simple essentials~
The first step is to ride a bit and see how you feel. If you normally ride two miles to work and back then you would probably be fine to go out for ten or so. If you haven’t ridden at all but want to give it a crack start with five miles or 30 minutes easy on a stationary bike. From these starting points you can add 10-20 percent extra duration each week to your rides till you get to the length you want to stick with. Choose easy courses that don’t feel to dangerous at first. As the process feels more normalized increasing the complexity of course a little bit at a time will keep you from feeling overwhelmed.
Next is to drink water. You need to have water before you ride and it’s good to have a bottle with you on any ride longer than 30 minutes. If it is extremely hot and or you are riding long distance you can drink electrolytes and carbohydrates too. For rides between 10-20 miles a 20oz bottle of water will do the trick.
Wearing a Helmet is highly advisable. Glasses and Gloves are helpful for safety and comfort as well. In warm conditions wearing light fingerless gloves benefits in two important ways. Hands won’t slip if you get sweaty and pull on the bars and if you do fall off your bike your hands will get much less scraped than if you are bare handed.
Obviously you need to have a bike to ride and it can be a variety of styles. A road bike is fast and can be difficult to handle if you are new to skinny tires. Mountain bikes are great for trails or riding on roads in winter conditions. A gravel bike is excellent for road riding and fire roads as well. I first got started on a Mt bike with Slick Tires and used it mostly on the road, it wasn’t fancy but worked great! I highly recommend riding for a bit on an inexpensive bicycle and making sure you love it before dropping big money on a new bike. Lots of fancy bikes become dust ornaments in peoples garages :/
Check that your bike doesn’t have cut or cracked tires. Make sure the brakes work and look for other signs of damage like cracks in the bicycle frame or other important parts. Having a professional mechanic or very experienced cyclists friend help you with a bike check is an excellent idea. Learn to fix a flat tire and keep a pump and spare with you!
Lastly and not surprisingly I encourage you to stretch, do core work, and or yoga! Cycling is so much fun and great for health and fitness but isn’t the most balanced activity for your muscles and joints. Mobility and core strength will help you feel better on the bike and make you less likely to fall off! Check out my mobility and core tool kit for cyclists for quick and effective tune ups for your body!
There are so many ways to ride and enjoy cycling and I encourage you to find out what feels and works best for you and your lifestyle. Becoming the cyclists you want to be on your terms is in my opinion the key to experiencing the most joy and motivation to get out and ride.
Many people took up cycling in 2020 both indoor and out door. Learning about cycling is an ongoing process and I’m excited to share with my community what I’ve learned in the past two decades plus exploring the countryside on my bicycle.
I’ll be adding to this page regularly so please check back from time to time to see more info. I’ll be adding nutrition tips, clothing guide, and resources for cycling on a budget very soon. I welcome questions so please send an email if you want me to address anything specific!
For now we will begin with the simple essentials~
The first step is to ride a bit and see how you feel. If you normally ride two miles to work and back then you would probably be fine to go out for ten or so. If you haven’t ridden at all but want to give it a crack start with five miles or 30 minutes easy on a stationary bike. From these starting points you can add 10-20 percent extra duration each week to your rides till you get to the length you want to stick with. Choose easy courses that don’t feel to dangerous at first. As the process feels more normalized increasing the complexity of course a little bit at a time will keep you from feeling overwhelmed.
Next is to drink water. You need to have water before you ride and it’s good to have a bottle with you on any ride longer than 30 minutes. If it is extremely hot and or you are riding long distance you can drink electrolytes and carbohydrates too. For rides between 10-20 miles a 20oz bottle of water will do the trick.
Wearing a Helmet is highly advisable. Glasses and Gloves are helpful for safety and comfort as well. In warm conditions wearing light fingerless gloves benefits in two important ways. Hands won’t slip if you get sweaty and pull on the bars and if you do fall off your bike your hands will get much less scraped than if you are bare handed.
Obviously you need to have a bike to ride and it can be a variety of styles. A road bike is fast and can be difficult to handle if you are new to skinny tires. Mountain bikes are great for trails or riding on roads in winter conditions. A gravel bike is excellent for road riding and fire roads as well. I first got started on a Mt bike with Slick Tires and used it mostly on the road, it wasn’t fancy but worked great! I highly recommend riding for a bit on an inexpensive bicycle and making sure you love it before dropping big money on a new bike. Lots of fancy bikes become dust ornaments in peoples garages :/
Check that your bike doesn’t have cut or cracked tires. Make sure the brakes work and look for other signs of damage like cracks in the bicycle frame or other important parts. Having a professional mechanic or very experienced cyclists friend help you with a bike check is an excellent idea. Learn to fix a flat tire and keep a pump and spare with you!
Lastly and not surprisingly I encourage you to stretch, do core work, and or yoga! Cycling is so much fun and great for health and fitness but isn’t the most balanced activity for your muscles and joints. Mobility and core strength will help you feel better on the bike and make you less likely to fall off! Check out my mobility and core tool kit for cyclists for quick and effective tune ups for your body!
There are so many ways to ride and enjoy cycling and I encourage you to find out what feels and works best for you and your lifestyle. Becoming the cyclists you want to be on your terms is in my opinion the key to experiencing the most joy and motivation to get out and ride.
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